Changes
by MermaidMidna
Summary: I never imagined I would look at him like this... Then again I never imagined he WOULD look like this. Was that so wrong? This will be Marred. You were warned.
1. CAUTION

**AN: Okay, I'm really really sorry if I get any Buzz Lightyear terminology or expressions wrong… I already know some of them are wrong. I have tried to watch some episodes for reference but as much as I wish I could rewatch every episode; I don't have enough time. Also, this might take me a while to update… I'm sorry in advance. Wooh, that was a depressing author's note. On I lighter note, I tried my best to keep the characters in character and such, so I hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. If I did, Marred would have happened a long time ago, and 42 would have never existed… or she would be in a black hole.**

"XR, status report!"

"Well, I'm feeling pretty good right now, although I am kinda hungry."

Booster chuckled as I rolled my eyes. "Come on, XR."

"Okay, okay. Hold your hornets!" he shuffled around in the darkness, treading on my foot in the process, undoubtedly looking for his scanner. I took in a sharp intake of breath but chose not to say anything for once.

"There are no signs of human or animal life." he said, his robot eyes illuminating the scanner.

"What about machinery?" whispered Buzz.

"Just a parsec… Ah- here we go!" the whole hallway seemed to light up as a million tiny dots popped up on the scanner. XR stared at the screen, his eyes wide. "Okay, either the hornets had a little too much fun in the hive, or Zurg ordered himself a whole lotta more robots."

I slapped myself on the forehead. "I say we go with the other one. Let's head out."

"Now wait just a moment, Ranger Nova!" said Buzz, holding me back before I could get anywhere. "I think we should split up."

"Split up?!" I yelled. Booster gave me the 'shh' sign behind Buzz's back. I lowered my voice. "Buzz, are you crazy? We're on Planet Z, and there are like, ten thousand robots in there, and you want us to _split up!?"_

"Ranger Nova, calm down!" said Buzz, putting a hand over my mouth.

I hung my head. "Sorry sir." I muttered.

"Yes, well, I too would like to know what you are thinking, Buzz." said XR in a mockingly intelligent tone. I was tempted to roll my eyes again.

"If we split up, then we can attack from each side." explained Buzz calmly.

"Gee guys, why don't you listen to Buzz more often? He's always right!" exclaimed Booster.

"Thank you Booster. Now, XR, Mira, you guys take the right. Booster and I will go left. Contact me when you reach the main door to Zurg's evil lair." said Buzz.

Of course! Booster and Buzz always teamed up. And I was always stuck with… XR. Not that I minded _that_ much. I mean, he was pretty funny. It was just that his sarcasm and excessive flirting could really irk a girl.

"Remind me why we had to come to Planet Z again…" said XR as we crept down the hall.

"_Because_, XR, Star Command got a tip off that Zurg was transporting something really big from Trade World to here. And we were assigned to go find out what the heck it is." I explained.

"Um, well, judging by the gazillion red dots on the scanner, I would guess it was a new shipment of robots."

"We don't know that for sure! Remember the last cargo that Zurg ordered?"

"Oh don't remind me…" said XR, shuddering. We walked in silence for a while. For once, the little guy had nothing to say. I felt kind of bad for bringing up NOS-4-A2 around him. He seemed really-

"I don't get why we don't just blow up this dump from Star Command with like a maniacal weapon of demonic doom or something?" XR interrupted my thought process.

"Hmm, I don't know? Did'ya ever think that it was maybe because Star Command banned maniacal weapons?!" I asked derisively.

"Bad call on Pop's part." said XR. I sighed. We had reached the door that lead to Zurg's main chamber.

"Let me contact Buzz." I said, holding up my arm and pressing the talk button on my suit. "Buzz Lightyear, come in Buzz Lightyear. This is Mira. Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear ranger." said Buzz's voice. "Uh, you might want to be a bit quieter."

"Sorry." I whispered quickly, anxious to get on with the task at hand. "Ready to go?"

"Yep, we're stationed right in front of Zurg's door. On the count of 3! 1… 2… 3!"

XR blasted down the door and we ran inside, lasers and guns at the ready. Except there was nothing to shoot at… Thousands of robots lined the walls, but none of them seemed to be moving, or awake for that matter. And they weren't hornets either. They were all different looking… Some were tiny, some were large. They all had different colors, and some looked male, others female.

"Buzz, what's going on?" I heard Booster ask from across the room.

"I don't know Booster, but I don't like it one bit."

I turned to see where Buzz and Booster were, but instead I saw an extremely huge machine sitting in the middle of the room.

"I think we found our cargo." I said in awe.

XR wheeled over to me, blinking his yellow eyes. "Now that is what you'd call a maniacal weapon."

"I'd say so…" I said, still staring at the… was it a ray gun? I wandered over to it and saw writing on its side. "CAUTION: ONLY TO BE USED ON HUMANS. SIDE EFFECTS FOR ROBOTS ARE UNKNOWN."

I glanced at XR nervously. "Buzz!" I yelled across the room. "I think we had better get-"

I was interrupted by an evil laugh that could only belong to one person.


	2. ONLY TO BE USED ON HUMANS

**AN: I'm really sorry I didn't update before! I wanted to, but I didn't have internet for a whole weekend, so I apologize! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! You guys are the best!**

"Excellent!" laughed Zurg. "The whole of Team Lightyear is here to witness my newest investment!"

"Evil Emperor Zurg!" shouted Buzz, even though we all knew who that voice belonged to.

"Yes, Lightyear. It's me." Zurg said with a wave of his hand. "But enough with the cheesy introductions. I actually want to do something productive today!"

"Yeah, okay." piped XR beside me. "Before we do that, do you think you could explain what this thing here is for?" I shook my head. Did he really think Zurg would explain the entire-

"Ah, yes. I see you've discovered my Robotinater!" Zurg said ecstatically. I sighed. _Of course_ he would explain his machine to us.

"How could we _not_ discover it?" I asked, annoyed. "It's in the center of the room, it's huge, and you ordered it from Trade World. Did you really expect it to be kept quiet?"

"Maybe that's exactly what I wanted to happen!" proclaimed Zurg. "Besides, no interrupting me when I'm explaining my evil devices." He stared at us, and when no one said anything, he continued talking. "That's better. Now, where was I? Ah,yes, my Robotinator!" he shouted, even louder than before. "With this machine, I will be able to dominate the universe! You see, this device turns humans into robots!" He paused for a gasp from us and an evil laugh from him. "With Team Lightyear as robots, I will be able to rewire your circuits and control you all!"

"Okay, so, what about me?" asked XR, crossing his arms,his head tilting to the side.

"You might have noticed the robots around the room." Zurg ignored him. "I had to test out my invention somehow, so I invited the Rhizomians for a vegetarian dinner, and of course they couldn't resist. So I turned them all into robots!" he gave a little chuckle as I looked back at the hundreds of robot bodies lining the walls. _Those _were Rhizomians?! "And now I will use them against you!" Zurg clapped his hands together and the robots sprung to life, their eyes glowing red and their hands outstretched.

Just as the robots had come to life, so did we. I stood back to back with XR, my laser pointing at the would-be-Rhizomians. My face softened as I imagined the peaceful vegetarian creatures coming towards us rather than evil robots controlled by Zurg. I lowered my arm. "I don't want to shoot!" I said to XR. "Somewhere in there is a peaceful creature."

Just at that minute, one of the robots came up behind me and threw me to the ground, holding my arms down. "Ow!" I yelled. I tried to kick the robot off, but it wouldn't budge. It was really strong, unlike the hornets Zurg had used before.

"Hmm!" I heard Zurg say. "I wonder what a Tangean robot would look like!" I saw his giant machine turn and point at me.

"No!" I screamed, ghosting through the robot and jumping up before Zurg could fire. Once again I was met with another pair of robotic hands, forcing me to the ground. I ghosted through them again, my energy quickly running out. I heard Zurg laugh as another robot grabbed me by the waist and flung me at the wall. I hit it at full force and I had the wind knocked out of me. I tried to stand up but I was unsteady, and I fell back down.

"You can't fight forever, princess!" said Zurg, his Robotinator gun pointed at me once again. I stood up shakily but there was no way I was getting out of the way before that thing hit me, and I had no energy left to ghost through the ray. I braced myself for impact, shutting my eyes tightly.

"Mira, look out!" I heard a metallic voice say, and suddenly I felt arms pushing me, and I hit the ground hard, again.

There was a split second when I opened my eyes and saw the blast from the ray gun headed right at XR as Zurg fired it, obviously intending for it to hit me. I briefly remembered the heading on the side of the machine: "SIDE EFFECTS FOR ROBOTS ARE UNKNOWN."

"XR!" I screamed, watching his body being lifted into the air. What would that thing _do_ to him? He was pretty much as human as a robot could get, so I was scared that it would make him more robotic. Then I thought about what he had done. He was so brave, pushing me out of the way and sacrificing himself. I wondered if he had read the warning on the machine's side.

I noticed the machine was doing something weird. It seemed to be almost… inflating! It bulged and started to let off a high pitched sound. "Oh dear." I barely heard Zurg say as he ran out of the room, hands over his ears.

"It's gonna blow!" I heard Booster scream. I put my hands over my head as the machine blew to bits, its debris flying everywhere. I looked up and was met with a cloud of dust, obscuring everything. I started to cough, my eyes tearing up. A huge figure and a smaller one stumbled towards me in the chaos. I could make out Buzz and Booster walking towards me, both holding their hands over their mouths.

"The robots are still attacking, Buzz!" said Booster, pointing a large red finger towards an emerging figure in the dust. He was right. The Rhizomians kept going, despite the explosion.

"Ranger Nova, grab XR and get out of here!" said Buzz. "We'll hold off the robots until you get out!"

"What if XR… isn't XR anymore?" I asked, staring at the ground, embarrassed. The robots were advancing.

"Just get him and go!" yelled Buzz. "Now!"

I ran off into the dust, feeling around for either XR's whole body, or some of his robot parts. I heard lasers firing in the distance and I flinched. If we could ever get the Rhizomians back to normal… What would happen to them after their robot bodies were damaged?

I stopped short as I felt something like a helmet and I slid my hand down to feel a Star Command suit. XR! I could barely see with my eyes watering and with all the dust around, but I gathered him up in my arms and pressed a button on my suit, activating my jet pack. XR felt weird and limp in my arms, and he was… heavier than normal. Not that I had carried him many times before! He just felt… strange.

I staggered around in the confusion, realizing I was never going to find the door. I had to ghost us out of there. I found a wall and I pressed myself and XR against it, using all my energy to get us through there. I saw we were outside, and I felt myself getting dizzy. I passed out with XR still in my arms.


	3. SIDE EFFECTS FOR ROBOTS

**AN: Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU my three reviewers! Lol. I will keep updating even if you three are the only reviewers, because you guys give me the nicest, most awesome reviews! Thank you the people at marredplz forums for some of the ideas I used! I tried to use some fast-paced dialogue and I dunno how it worked out, so let me know what you think. Please enjoy!**

When I woke up I realized I was not on Planet Z anymore, but in a room that looked like it was in Star Command. I sat up, holding my head and looking around. I was lying on a small bed, my battlesuit removed, but my undersuit still on. Things were still a little blurry, and I couldn't quite remember what had happened last night, but I looked to my left and saw some LGMs poking what seemed to be another ranger, their eyes wide in awe.

Commander Nebula stood beside them, shaking his head. "You've got to be kidding me." I heard him say. One of the LGMs moved out of the way and I caught a glance of the ranger lying dormant on the examination table. He looked strangely familiar but I knew I had never interacted or spoken with him before. He had pale skin and floppy golden hair that fell down over his ears. His nose was a little pointy and he had a square jaw. I saw a pair of broken dark purple glasses sitting on a table next to him. His physique wasn't fantastic but he was normal, and as I looked at him I realized he had been through one heck of an ordeal. The LGM blocked my vision again as he started poking the ranger again.

Suddenly I didn't feel weak any more, but curious, and I sat up to examine the mystery guy. At the same time, Buzz and Booster walked into the room, and I quickly lay back down again, pretending to be asleep. I didn't want them (specifically Booster) to make a fuss over me. I squinted one eye open, watching the scene before me.

"How's he doing?" asked Booster nervously, wringing his hands together in anticipation. Surprisingly he walked over to the unknown ranger and looked at him with a worried face. _Hey, what about me?_

"This is just… bizarre." said Buzz, looking at the man with an almost disgusted look on his face.

"Tell me about it, Lightyear!" shouted the commander, even though Buzz was standing right next to him. "The LGMs have never seen anything like this before!"

"Neeever." commented one of the LGMs.

"Straaange." the LGM poked the poor ranger again.

"Gosh, I hope he wakes up soon!" said Booster. I could hear a little excitement in his voice as he tried to restrain himself. "Gee, this is so-"

"Peculiar?" suggested Buzz.

"Disturbing?" Commander Nebula recommended.

"How about awesome?!" The nameless ranger sat up abruptly and looked down at his hands and feet, turning them around. His voice sounded unusually familiar…

My eyes opened wider to look at him. "I have flesh!" he shouted, standing up on the table.

Booster ran over to him and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "Buddy!" he yelled.

"I have pain!" said the other ranger, his green eyes bugging out as Booster embraced him. I was sitting up now, staring at the unusual sight.

"I'm _organic!"_ screamed the ranger as Booster finally let him go. I stood up and stared at him, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Buzzy old boy!" said the unidentified ranger, slapping Buzz on the back. Buzz did not look amused.

"Pop!" yelled the ranger, hugging the commander. Commander Nebula slapped himself on the face, shaking his head. He was _so_ familiar. Why could I _not_ peg who he was?

"Mira, baby!" the ranger ran over to me, sliding on his knees and taking my hands in his.

And then it all hit me, just as hard as I had hit the wall last night. All my memories came flooding back to me and I recalled the strange machine Zurg had tried to use against me. My head spun and I stepped back a few paces. _How could I have been so stupid?!_

"XR?!" I screamed, and then my head met the floor once again as I slipped into darkness.


	4. ARE KNOWN NOW!

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in forever. Life has been crazy lately! Thanks for the read and reviews once again! You guys are too awesome. And thank you to the peeps at marredplz who gave me some ideas on XR's reactions. I really appreciate it! Enjoy!**

"Ugh." I held my head and opened my eyes as faces swam into focus. Booster and Buzz were hovering over me, anxious looks on both their faces.

"You okay, Mira?" asked Booster.

"Yeah, I think." I recalled a blonde haired ranger with green eyes and shook my head. What a weird dream I had been having about him. There was no way he could have been… "Where's XR?" I inquired.

"Pigging out in the cafeteria." said Booster, chuckling a little.

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my eyebrows, sitting up. "I mean, there's only so much oil a robot can drink, right?"

"Um, in case you didn't notice, Ranger Nova, XR is… no longer the same." Buzz cut in, coughing subtly. "I mean, he can eat whatever he wants now." Then he lowered his voice, muttering to himself. "And he sure is taking full advantage of the situation."

_XR is no longer the same._ Did that mean… my dream was _real!?_ I jumped up from bed I was laying on and ran towards the door, trying to ignore the sickening feeling in my stomach.

"Mira, where are you going?" Booster ran after me but he wasn't quite quick enough.

"The cafeteria." I yelled, opening the door and running down the hallway to my destination. When I got there I saw the ranger from my dream, now wearing purple glasses that the LGMs must have repaired. His head was over a tray, and he was shoving as much food as he could get into his mouth. My suspicions were confirmed as I realized the dream I had was actually reality.

XR. Was. A. Human.

I turned and walked towards the wall on the outside of the cafeteria, my knees becoming weak. I leaned on the wall and slid down, searching my mind for answers. Zurg's Robotinator turned humans into robots, so it must have reversed on XR and turned him into a human. I truly didn't know how that was possible, but apparently it was. And XR had jumped in front of that thing to save _me,_ not knowing what kind of consequences it would bring. Thankfully he wasn't harmed. I didn't know if I would able to forgive myself if anything horrible had happened to him.

I looked around the corner to see XR patting his stomach in satisfaction. He wasn't hurt at all. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the situation the Robotinator had put him in. A giggle escaped from my lips and I clapped my hand over my mouth as XR turned to look at me.

A smile lit up his face as he saw me and he motioned for me to come over. I got up, cautiously making my way over to him. This was so strange. I took a seat next to him, my eyes staring at the table instead of him.

"So…" I started, unable to think of a good conversation starter. "How do you like being… you know… human?"

"Oh, man it's great!" said XR, leaning back and then falling off his seat. "Ow!"

"XR!" I jumped out of my own seat, offering my hand to him. "Are you okay?"

He took my hand in his and sat up. He was so… warm. It was odd, holding the hand of something that had been metal before.

"I'm fine." he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just got to get used to this sort of pain, and walking on these legs. Did you know I tripped three times walking over to here from the medical center?" he chuckled. "Oh, and I keep having to remind myself to breath. I don't know how you guys do it. But other than that, it's the best thing that ever happened to me!"

I smiled at him, and then realized that my hand was still in his. I blushed, quickly pulling it away and interested myself in playing with a strand of hair.

"Thanks for saving me." I said quietly. "You know, from that ray gun." I glanced at him for a second and saw a wide smile on his new human face.

"It was my pleasure, really." he joked, putting a hand on my back. My heart leapt a little in my chest. _What was wrong with me?_

"Okay, well, I gotta go, uh…" I tried to think of an excuse to get myself out of there. "Um, clean my suit. Yeah, because it got dirty from that trip to Planet Z." _Wow that was lame._

XR raised one eyebrow but removed his hand from me, and I got up as fast as my legs could carry me.

"Mira?" I heard, just before reaching the door. _Darn it! I was so close._

"Yeah, XR?" I asked without turning around.

"Thanks for being in front of that Robotinator."

I turned my head slightly, a small grin on my face. "No problem."

I walked out the door and breathed a sigh of relief.

_XR is no longer the same._ Boy, that was an understatement.


	5. SIDE EFFECTS FOR HUMANS

**AN: I realize it's been forever… I'm sorry guys. Life has been CRAZY. So I tried to make this chapter super long and super special for you guys because you deserve it. Enjoy!**

The hours passes into days and the days passed into weeks, and hardly a single distress call went out to Team Lightyear. Sure, we got the occasional traffic duty or the excessive gambler on Trade World, but nothing major came up. It was as if Zurg and all the other villains had disappeared from the universe. I found myself almost enjoying the time off from the extreme amount of missions. I mean, I missed kicking bad guys' butts, I admit, but it was interesting to see my team mates out of the action and pressure of battle. Once I thought about it, I never really _did_ get to see Buzz, Booster, or XR being normal … um… humans, relaxing in their own state of mind and doing what they liked to do.

Booster was always fun to be around, a cheerful guy, but I never noticed what at optimistic person he was. He started drawing pictures for fun when we found ourselves with nothing to do, waiting around in the lounge of Star Command. He drew pictures of his home planet and, what else but food, granted he wasn't the _best_ artist in the world, it was still amusing to look at his pictures and it kept him busy and happy.

Buzz, on the other hand was going completely insane without any missions to accomplish. He was constantly checking in with Commander Nebula and drumming his fingers on every object available to him. He vanished for long periods of time, too, which was strange considering we had no idea where he was going or what he was doing.

XR… well, XR was learning how to adjust to the situation he was in. He was used to just reaching into his chest compartment and getting whatever he needed. Now he actually had to work for what he wanted, or find some way to get it. He kept tripping over air, still not properly able to use his new found feet. And he had already gotten sick about ten times after eating excessively.

There was one thing he didn't have _any_ trouble adjusting to though, and he was prone to flirting with all the female rangers during their breaks… or sometimes even when they were busy or clearly standing next to their significant other. He knew full well that he was more or less attractive in his new body. I mean, in a cute geeky sort of way, that is. And he was using it to his full advantage. However, after a week of aggravating and cheesy pick up lines like, "If stars would fall every time I would think of you, the sky would soon be empty," and "Is there a space station nearby or is that just my heart taking off?" I finally put a stop to XR's oh so charming antics.

So XR and I spent a lot of our time "off" together, playing cards and just… talking. What? It's not like I had anything else to do… But I never realized how hilarious he was. Sure his sense of humor was sarcastic and off-beat, but he was funny; I had to admit it. And the strange thing about talking to XR was that we never ran out of anything to say… I guess I had never actually taken the time to sit down and hold a conversation with him. It wasn't like I had any time to before… It was nice.

We talked about everything: funny moments on our past missions, music, food, pointless facts that would we would never need to know about each other. And then came the serious stuff, like life and death, my royalty, and my relationship with my dad, among other things. I didn't know why XR would want to talk to me about those things… but he did. And he actually listened really well.

Then one day we were sitting outside the cafeteria having finished a delicious meal, when XR asked me something that made my dinner want to come back up again.

"Mira?" he asked, leaning against the wall. "Have you ever been in love?"

My stomach lurched, and I looked away from him, blushing. "No." I said quietly.

"Not even with Romac?"

My insides did summersaults. "No." I said indifferently. "He was just my first 'love.' But I wasn't _in_ love with him."

"Ah, I see." I dared to look up at XR. He had a small smile on his face and his hair was messy, covering one purple-spectacled eye. I reached my hand up and brushed his hair to the side, looking into his green eyes. My heart beat wildly in my chest.

One of his eyebrows raised in confusion as he grabbed my hand and I backed away. "I have to… go to the bathroom." I lied through my teeth, separating myself from him and letting myself calm down. "I will talk to you later."

He nodded and I practically ran down the hallway away from him. I felt myself getting dizzy for the umpteenth time. What had happened back there? I really didn't know what to think of XR anymore. Whenever I was around him I felt like I was having an out of body experience… so I could only imagine what he was feeling. I walked blindly down the hall, unaware of my surroundings, until I heard Commander Nebula chatting with some LGMs inside the science bay, that is.

"Are you guys almost done with that blasted machine, already?" he asked. "The sooner it gets done, the better!"

"Yeah, and the sooner I can go on missions again." I heard Buzz's voice chime in. What were they talking about?

"Almost done!" one of the LGMs piped up.

"One more day!" another voiced.

"Great!" said Nebula. "Now all we have to do is get him to agre-"

"What kind of machine are we talking about here?" I inquired, ghosting myself through the science bay doors and joining the conversation. Buzz and Nebula stepped in front of a rather large looking ray gun in a pathetic attempt to conceal it. I glared at them, tapping my foot up and down.

"Uh… Nothing important, Ranger Nova." said Buzz. "Just a, um, food monitor, to make sure the rangers get quality food, you know?"

"You know I can pick your brain, Buzz." I said impatiently. "Why don't you just tell me the truth now so we don't have to go through that."

Commander Nebula stepped forward, sighing. "Alright Ranger Nova, you win. We were going to have to tell you eventually anyway." he said. " It's a working replica of that machine Zurg had, designed by the LGMs. What'd you call it, Buzz? A robotisizer? A robotonizer?"

I gasped. "The Robotinator? You made a copy of the Robotinator? _Why?_" And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. They were going to change XR _back!_ I glowered at them, crossing my arms across my chest. "How could you? You can't just change him back! He loves being a human! It's the best thing that's ever happened to him!" I yelled.

"Yes, but it's not the best thing for Star Command, or Team Lighyear for that matter." Buzz said dryly.

"What do you mean by _that_?" I frowned, turning my attention to Buzz.

"Well, Mira, you might have noticed that XR's not the most… coordinated person ever. Even when he was a robot he was always getting himself blown up and injured. But that was fine because the LGMs could always fix him. You can't exactly put a human back together now, can you? He's not qualified to go out there and fight in the condition he's in."

I stared at him, appalled. "Well maybe if he would have had some training, he'd be qualified! And it's not like he went and got himself blown up on purpose! He was fragile and an easy target! And we always used him as bait because we knew he would be fine even if he _did_ get injured!" I got up in Buzz's face, pointing a finger at his chest. "_You're_ just doing this because you want to get out on the playing field again! You can't stand not having any missions to go on, to not have any glory! How selfish can you be?"

Buzz took a step forward, causing me to inch back and cower a little. He looked really angry. "Really, Ranger Nova? Because you're the one who seems selfish. I've noticed that you and XR have gotten… closer over the past few weeks, and I'm afraid you don't want him to change back into a robot for your _own_ selfish reasons."

"W-what?" I sputtered, my eyes looking to the ground. "That's absolutely ridiculous. Where would you get an idea like that?"

"Either way," said Nebula, coming between me and Buzz, "We're changing him back. No questions asked."

I raised my head to protest again when we all heard a crash as the doors flung open and XR made his way inside, angrily. My heart sunk. How much of that conversation had he heard?

"Don't I get a say in any of this, at all?" he asked, and I could see fresh tears on his face. I wanted to reach out and put my hand on his arm, but he was too far away. Buzz and Nebula looked shocked. "Of course not, right? Because I never got my opinion in anything! Not when I was a robot, and not now either! Do you think I _willingly_ stood out in a deserted corridor, waiting for NOS-4-A2 to consume me? Do you think I _wanted_ to be blown up fifty thousand times and be pieced back together? If I could have had a say then none of that stuff would have ever happened to me!" He took a deep breath and waited for anyone to respond. We were all too stunned to speak.

"I happen to _like_ being a human! And if you take that away from me then you've pretty much taken it all, considering I didn't really have that much to begin with…" He trailed off and ran out of the science bay, almost tripping over an LGM.

"XR!" I yelled, finally finding my voice. I turned around to look at Buzz and Nebula and shake my head. They looked mortified. _Serves them right._ I thought, running out the door to find XR.


	6. ARE UNEXPECTED

**AN: Sorry for not updating in a while. Thank you for all of your reviews! I love all of you guys! I'm really sorry if this is cheesy or OOC. Gosh, I'm not very good at this…**

"XR?!" I yelled, running down the hall. "XR, where are you?"

I found him sitting outside the janitor's closet in a deserted corridor, knowing that no one would come there. To be truthful, I had no idea how I had found him there. For some reason, my gut feeling just told me where to go.

His hair fell over his face as he stared at the ground. His knees were drawn up to his head and he curled his arms around them in the fetal position. I wondered if he was crying still.

"XR?" I asked gently, sitting cross-legged beside him and putting a hand on his arm. "XR, are you okay?"

"No." he said softly. His voice made him sound as though he was in pain. I cringed inwardly, but tried to keep a positive look on the outside. "Thanks for trying Mira, but they're not gonna let me stay this way."

"I-I'm sorry." I choked out, moving my thumb up and down his shoulder. I didn't know what else to say.

"I don't want to be a robot again." He did not look at me as he spoke, but instead decided to concentrate on his knees. I absentmindedly traced the lines of the arm on his spacesuit.

"I want taste and feeling and _meaning_. I want to feel this pain that humans have. It's unlike anything I've ever felt before. When a robot hurts, their body tingles all over. A human's pain is concentrated in one area." He lifted one of his hands to his heart, and at the same time lifted his head. I allowed my hand to wander to his face, brushing away his newly formed tears. "My tears _taste_ salty." he said. "There's this pain in my stomach and my heart that I can't explain. But I don't want it to go away."

He paused for a second and glanced at me, my hand still stroking his face. "And nobody liked me when I was a robot. _You_ didn't like me."

My hand dropped to my side and I stared at him in shock.

"XR, I- I… That's not true!"

I studied his face, looked at his shiny golden hair and big, bright green eyes. I never imagined I would look at him like this. But then again, I never imagined he _would_ look like this. Was that so wrong?

…I was horrible. I would have never given robot XR a second chance, and yet, here I was, my heart beating wildly in my chest as I stared at essentially the same being, only in a different form. Was I really that superficial, only falling for him because of the way he looked? Or was the attraction always there, but I had refused to believe there was a spark because XR was a robot? He had the same personality, the same crazy antics, the same sarcastic demeanor, but he was human now, so I could accept him now.

For the first time in my life I truly _hated_ myself. Even when XR was made of steel, he still had all the emotions and feelings as a human being, but I had disregarded this all because he wasn't _organic_. I had shoved him aside like any other piece of machinery, when I really should have treated him better than anyone else… Because he deserved it, he really did. I mean, after all those times of being blown up and picked on, you'd think I would have treated him with more decency. What was _wrong_ with me?

"Before they make me a robot again, I want to try one thing." XR interrupted my thoughts, sitting up and looking me strait in the eyes. His face came closer to mine and I anticipated what was coming next. He leaned in slowly and I felt my face growing hotter as noses touched and foreheads rubbed together. I closed my eyes, taking in his sweet scent; perhaps he had drunk a soda or milkshake earlier today. He moved in closer but my lips got there first.

And then Buzz and Nebula didn't matter anymore. Craters, the whole universe didn't matter! All that mattered were XR's lips on mine, both of our mouths moving in unison. He was warm and comforting and kind and gentle. And I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself near to him. He placed his hands on my hips. I felt every emotion inside of him pouring into me, and I felt his pain and fear and _love_. And as much as I never thought I would enjoy kissing XR, it was probably the best experience I had ever had the pleasure to go through.

We finally broke away, both of our faces simply ecstatic, my arms still around XR's neck. And then his smile began to fade, and I saw incredible sadness in his eyes.

"I won't let them change me back, I promise." he said, a sense of fierceness in his voice.

I pulled him into a hug, encircling him in my arms. "I won't let them either." I whispered in his ear. And this time, I knew it wasn't just for me. I knew it wasn't simply a selfish act, but that I was doing this for XR. The look he had in his eyes, the sadness and pain, it could all be illuminated if only he could stay this way. And that's what I wanted, for him to be happy. Even more so than having him hold me in his arms forever.

Although that was nice too.


	7. AND SOMEWHAT PAINFUL

**AN: Wow, for once I don't really have anything to say. Thanks again for reviewing everyone! It's almost over... (PS: This is my longest chapter and now my longest fanfiction!!!)  
**

So the next day, XR and I went to Commander Nebula, and we somehow managed to persuade him that XR was capable of doing missions, and that he didn't need to be changed back into a robot. A lot of yelling ensued, as well as a few threats of firing us from Star Command, but in the end we won out. Nebula gave XR permission to go on one mission as a human in order to prove himself. If he couldn't… Well, I didn't want to think about that, and I didn't allow myself to think about that, because I knew XR would do me proud.

As for our… relationship, we decided to keep that secret, at least for the time being anyway. Although we did hold hands under the table at lunch and sneak furtive glances at each other occasionally.

So Team Lightyear was back! And Buzz couldn't be happier, so that was good. And I had to say I was about ready to kick some major butt after that long break. Our assignment: to take out Torque who had, once again, started a fight with one of the dealers on Trade World. Torque was the perfect villain to fight. He was strong, but he wasn't too difficult of a match to deal with. I mean, not that I doubted XR or anything, but it would be asking a little much of him to face someone like Warp Darkmatter on his first mission as a human.

As soon as we got to Trade World, we could automatically see where the problem was. A mass of people was crowded around the yellow alien, his guns pointed at them. "Don't take one step further, or I'll blow you all to bits!" he chuckled, spinning his weapons around.

"Not on my watch!"

The whole of our team drifted down to the commotion, our lasers at the ready.

"Lightyear, baby!" yelled Torque happily. All of the people around him scampered away, screaming about how 'Star Command was going to get them!' and how 'they had to hide their stuff.' I shook my head. Like we were really going to arrest _all_ of them. "Thanks for getting rid of those pests for me!" continued Torque.

"No problem." said Buzz, obviously thrilled to be back at his work. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Torque. "Now it's time to get rid of _you._"

"I don't think so!" Torque reached pressed a hand to the device on his chest and split into two. Before we knew it, we were all surrounded by Torques, each of them laughing manically. "What now, baby?" Half of the Torques flew off in one direction while the other half went a different way.

"XR, Mira, you take the ones on the left!" shouted Buzz. "Booster and I will go right."

"Yes, sir!" XR and I flew around a few buildings, searching for our targets. We spotted them sitting on top of a skyscraper, waiting for us to come. We must have had the decoys because they weren't very scared when we approached.

XR fired his laser at one of them and they disappeared. I smiled. He was doing great already.

"Woah, what's up with the new guy anyway?" asked the two remaining Torques who had now flown in the air and were hovering above us.

"Not new!" said XR. "Improved." He fired another laser and the second Torque dissolved.

"You mean you're that robot ranger?" inquired the last Torque, scratching his head with one of his arms. "How did that happen?!"

I fired a laser at him but he moved out of the way before it could hit him. He looked down in shock. "Did you forget I was here?" I asked, glaring at him.

"How could I forget about you, baby?" He laughed. I scrunched up my nose in disgust. What a pervert.

"Hey!" yelled XR, flying over to Torque. "Don't you talk to her like that!" _Oh no_! It was sweet of him to be protective of me, but I didn't want him to get hurt!

"XR, it's okay, really!" I said, flying over to him and placing my hand on his arm.

"Aw look at you two lovebirds! I would hate to break this up." I rolled my eyes, turning my attention to the obnoxious villain. It was then that I glanced at Torque's chest and realized that the duplicating device was still on his chest. _He was the real one!_ "But I think I will anyway!" He lifted a hand to his chest, two more Torques springing out from him. We were trapped.

All three of them fired their guns, and I barely had time to think as I was shoved out of the circle by a pair of strong hands. I watched as XR was hit by the power of six guns, each firing simultaneously by Torque and his clones. I think I screamed, but I couldn't hear my own cries over the cries of XR and the sickening sounds of the guns. Time seemed to move in slow motion as XR's immobile body fell down through the sky and I flew after him, trying to catch him. But one of the Torques got to me first, lifting me and throwing me on the roof of a building. My head hit the concrete and the last image I could recall was Buzz and Booster fighting the real Torque in the distance, while one of them smiled over me. Then it was all black.

_______________________________________________________________________

Why was I always passing out? You'd think by now I'd have serious brain damage or something. What had I done this time? I couldn't even remember. Oh, so that's what sort of brain damage I had. Memory loss. I sat up and closed my eyes, when a painful memory entered my mind. All I could see was XR falling to the ground.

XR…

I jumped out of bed running over to the doors and flinging them open. Booster was standing outside, sniffling a little. "Where's XR?" I demanded.

Booster sat up, noticing me. His eyes lit up a little. "Mira, you're okay!" he proclaimed, grabbing me and pulling me into a crushing hug.

"Yes, I'm fine!" I choked out. Booster let me down gently, noticing how uncomfortable I was. "Now where's XR?" Booster's face fell immediately upon the mention of the name, and my heart sank.

"Oh, he- he's next door." said Booster sadly. I ran over to the doors beside us, swinging them open. "Mira, don't-"

I walked in, noticing the sign on the wall that read "Terminal Ward." I clutched my stomach in fear of throwing up. I saw about ten LGMs and Commander Nebula crowded around what looked like an operating table, all of them concentrating on their work. I snuck in closer, unable to tear my eyes from the broken figure lying on the table. He was pale and his body had many gashes and bruises on it, his eyes closes and his stomach barely rising with each breath he took. _At least he was still alive._ I let out a dry sob.

One of the LGMs turned around and took off his mask. He gave me a faint smile and beckoned me closer. Nebula seemed to just notice I was there and he looked up at me, frowning a little. But then his gaze softened and he gave me a reassuring grin. I approached cautiously, staring at the beautiful, delicate man on the table. Why? Why him? It was all my fault, wasn't it? All my fault for always getting into trouble, and him saving me. For a brief second I wished that XR never loved me. If he didn't, he wouldn't be lying there, practically… gone.

"He is not doing well…" said the same LGM that called me over. "But there is one thing we can do."

"What?" I asked, leaning forward and placing a hand to my chest.

But the LGM didn't have a chance to answer as a groan emitted from XR and his eyes flickered open. A tear trickled down my face and I ran over to him and took his hand.

"Mira." he said weakly. I could barely hear him and his voice was raspy and sad. I held back more tears and tried to be strong for him. "I thought it was you." He noticed my tears and he added, "don't worry. I'll be okay."

Nebula came over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "There's no way you're going to be able to survive as a human, son." he said, talking to XR. "The only way you will be okay is if we turn you back into a robot."

"And then we can piece him back together and fix him!" piped up and LGM. A grin spread across my face.

"No!" said XR as loud as he could. "I can't go back to that. I'd rather die knowing you loved me, Mira, than turn back into a robot and be unwanted."

A breath escaped from my lips and my stomach churned again. He- he thought I wouldn't love him anymore? Was that why he wouldn't turn back into a robot? Was it true? Would I not care about him if he was a robot? If I didn't love him anymore… I still wanted him to live, no matter what the consequence was. No more selfish actions. No more trying to keep XR a human for my own benefits. Even if I didn't love him, he was my best friend, and he always would be. My chest heaved as a let out another sob.

I got up and turned away from XR, crossing my arms. "Change him back." I said.

"Alright, boys." I heard Nebula say. "Go get that robot device." Three or four LGMs scampered out of the room to go get the Robotinator.

"What?" gasped XR. "Mira, please! Mira! Don't do this. I'd rather die…"

"Change him back." I said again, swallowing, trying to ignore the pleas of XR as I ran out of the room.


	8. BUT WORTH IT IN THE END

What was taking those darned LGMs so long?

I didn't know how much time had passed by, but I didn't care. I spent most of the day in my room, thinking. Buzz didn't even bother me about going on missions. I just sat in solitude, only coming out to eat, but never completely knowing what I was doing. I only went through the actions while other thoughts consumed my brain.

Was it humanely possible for an organic to love a robot? I wanted to love XR, I truly did. I knew that I did love him. And I knew that I would still love at least a part of him, even when he changed back.

Would people accept it, though? Our… being together? Father would never approve, that's for sure, but when did I ever really seek his approval? Sure, I wanted him to accept me, to love me unconditionally, no matter what. But if I was happy, shouldn't that be enough for him?

And what would Buzz and Booster think? Commander Nebula? Booster would be happy enough, I guess, but none of them would understand. How could they? What other organic had ever fallen in love with a robot-turned-human, or a robot for that matter?

Craters. Why did I always have to be so different?

"Mira?" My thoughts were interrupted as a large red figure opened my door halfway, eyes peeking inside, hesitant to come in.

I gave a weak smile. "Yes, Booster?"

He entered my room cautiously, standing close to the wall and twiddling his fingers. "Do you think XR's gonna be okay?" he asked.

My heart leapt in my chest. Of course I had thought about the well-being of XR, but never thought about "if" he recovered, but "when" he recovered. What if he didn't make it? I swallowed my tears, patting the bed beside me.

Booster ambled over, planting himself on my bed. It sank in, and I could hear some of the springs break. He made a nervous face and I gave him a reassuring grin, trying not to think about how uncomfortable it would be to sleep on it tonight.

"I bet XR will be just fine. He's in the capable hands of the LGMs, you know." I gave Booster a pat on the back. _Yeah, the same LGMs who are taking forever to "put him back together." I mean, really, how long can that take?_

"You really think so, Mira?" inquired Booster, his eyes never leaving the floor.

"I know so." I said, giving his rather large shoulder a squeeze._ You just keep telling yourself that, Mira._

"Gee, thanks Mira." Booster still didn't look at me. There was a long awkward silence as we just sat there. All the while I tried to stifle my tears, aggravated at myself that I held them back all week, but of course when I was in the company of someone else it was harder than ever.

Finally Booster spoke up. "When did you first know you loved XR?" he asked. In my head I wished we would go back to the silence.

"Um, well…" I stumbled to find the right words. When_ did_ I know that I loved XR? I remembered our kiss, and I wanted to say that was the moment, but for some reason my heart just wouldn't let me. The longing glances he gave me, the way he was jealous when Romac came back, the time he got me out of marrying Fop, all the moments we had spent together on missions, did it mean nothing? I wanted to say I fell in love with XR when we shared our first kiss, but I realized that I had been falling for him for a long time. It was just that one instance, that one "trip" that made me fall even faster for him.

"Mira?" Booster waved his hand in front of my face. He shuffled his feet. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." The mattress squeaked as he made to get up.

He was halfway to the door before I could even find the words to answer.

"Booster…" I said quietly. He turned back around to look at me. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just that I'm unsure myself."

Booster gave a small smile. "Thanks Mira." he said, and walked out the door. I never what that big guy was thinking, but he always seemed to help me somehow, someway.

I felt myself getting drowsy and I lay down in my bed, finally able to get a good night's sleep.

"Mira?"

"Not now, Dad. Five more minutes."

"Mira, it's me."

My eyes shot open as I heard a familiar, metallic voice. XR stood in the doorway, brand new and shiny looking, a look of apprehension on his face. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"XR." I didn't know if it was a question or a statement, but I was out of bed in a flash, my arms around him. I felt his arms encircle me, barely touching as he stretched them across my back. I shivered a little, waiting for him to release, but the moment never came. I didn't want to be the one to let go.

Finally I pulled back, looking at his yellow eyes, his golden face, his quirky eyebrows. I missed that face. I missed it so much.

"Are we…?" he trailed off, but I knew what he was implying.

I stared at him, trying to think of something to say. Of course "we were!" I wouldn't change that for anything. But the only thing that came from my mouth was, "When has an organic ever fallen in love with a robot?"

I mentally slapped myself. I didn't mean for it to sound like a sarcastic question; I was only curious. But I was afraid he might take it the wrong way, and I would hurt him.

Surprisingly, XR just looked me strait in the eye and countered my question with his own. "When has a robot ever fallen in love with an organic?"

I chewed on my lip, trying to work up the courage to actually say what I felt. Why was it so difficult? I finally managed to force something out of my mouth. "Now."

This time it was XR who instigated the kiss. It was so different than before, so _unreal_, but so much better. This time he wasn't warm or gentle. This time, he kissed me with so much passion and force that I wouldn't have been surprised if the whole galaxy exploded and I didn't feel it. I wrapped my arms around him tightly and kissed him back. It was bizarre and familiar at the same time, the way it felt to kiss a robot. Or maybe it was just the way it felt to kiss XR. There was some sort of spark between us, and I felt little electric waves run up and down my arms.

When we pulled apart, my heart was beating wildly in my chest and I was out of breath.

"Promise me you'll never become a human again?" I asked, smiling widely for the first time in days.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." XR grinned, pulling me into an embrace.

_Neither would I._

**AN: I decided to put this at the end this time, just because I wanted to thank all of you for putting up with my busy schedule and sticking by me through this story. You guys are so amazing, and make this fandom even more awesome!**

**I really, really hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! **

**Alohilani: Thanks so much for being the FIRST to review and even taking the time to read my fanfic! I know how much you don't like the Human!XR concept, but I hope you enjoyed it none the less! **

**Christian Ninja Rabit: Thank you for reviewing and thanks a TON for adding me to your fave authors list! That means so much to me! I will be sure to read more of your fics in the future! (And I already love your KP ones, btw!) ^^**

**LittleBlue33: Thank you for the kind reviews and thank you SO much for adding me to your fave authors list!!! You are very sweet! And I love your smileys, btw. :) :3 :}**

**Gurz: All of your reviews literally made me laugh out loud! I thoroughly enjoyed your viewpoints and your voice on every chapter! Thank you for being one of the first to review and for making my day a little brighter every time you reviewed! :D **

**And lastly, BandGeek727: What else can I say? You have been there every step of the way, always making the nicest and kindest suggestions! You are a total inspiration and a wonderful person. I can't thank you enough for everything you've said and how you've motivated me to become a better writer and to work harder on this fic. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! There are no words to express my gratitude!**


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